July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is an important time to recognize the unique challenges faced by minority populations with mental health.
The observance aims to promote knowledge and understanding of the unique mental health challenges faced by people of diverse backgrounds, including discrimination, prejudice, and social and economic inequality.
Studies reveal that mental health issues affect minority communities, who may experience difficulties in accessing mental health care because of language barriers, culturally incompetent care, and mental illness stigma. The repercussions for individuals and their families can be significant when mental health conditions are underdiagnosed and under-treated.
· Percent of African Americans with Mental Illness: 17% [Source]
· Number of African Americans with Mental Illness: 6.8 million
During National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, organizations and advocates aim to spread awareness through events, campaigns, and resources.
Meet John Diggs. A seasoned mind mapping master who integrates Life Coaching and NLP to empower people to live their best lives. He strongly believes that mind mapping can aid minorities with mental illness. He possesses vast knowledge on the topic and is striving to raise awareness.
“Mind mapping is a valuable tool that can benefit individuals in organizing their thoughts and ideas,” states Diggs. “It enables clearer communication and problem-solving, fostering inclusivity and empowering minorities to voice their perspectives and contribute to discussions. It also cultivates creativity and critical thinking, both of which are crucial for minorities in overcoming obstacles and attaining their aspirations.” The passionate expert adds, “By introducing mind mapping to minority communities, we can promote equality, personal development, and shared achievements.”
Diggs uses the 4 Ps when counseling his clients, which comprises Purposeful Awareness (PA), Perspective (P), Problem-Solving (PS), and Positive Thinking (PT). “I use the 4Ps when coaching my clients because mind mapping is a powerful visual technique that can help individuals explore their thoughts, map out ideas, and solve problems.” He says by incorporating the 4 Ps into the process, he can guide his clients toward a deeper understanding of their goals and challenges.
He also uses visualization techniques, having his clients create a “mind map” that will show them all the facets of their life: positive ones as well as areas that require extra attention or effort if they are going to improve on them. “Visualization is an incredibly effective tool that can greatly enhance your experience with mind mapping,” states Diggs. “By constructing mental images and associating them with the main concepts of your mind map, you can further develop your comprehension and retention of information. Visualization enables you to perceive the connections among ideas more distinctly, thus nurturing creativity and problem-solving abilities.”
Diggs adds, “It represents a powerful approach to organize and recall information by tapping into the brain’s inherent propensity for symbols and images. Therefore, when you engage in constructing a mind map, contemplate integrating visualization techniques to fully optimize its efficacy.”
Advocating for mental health is personal for Diggs. His TEDx Talk had a positive impact on mental health, where he is transparent about the lowest point of his life—a night when he contemplated suicide after losing his job, home, and family. “It was difficult to face my cultural fear of appearing weak, but I wanted to keep a promise I made to help others in similar circumstances. So, I faced my fear and laid it all out on that TEDx stage for the world to see.”
The response was so overwhelming that he published a book based on his TEDx Talk that reached #1 on Amazon’s “Hot New Releases” list entitled What’s in Your Big-Ass Box? This book is geared toward helping people who are struggling with mental health issues.
Helpful for minorities dealing with trauma, mind mapping also helps reduce anxiety or depression caused by different conditions, including PTSD and bipolar disorder. Diggs helps individuals struggling in these areas improve their quality of life, regardless of their current mental state.
Mind mapping has an immeasurable effect on minority communities. By providing self-command over thoughts and emotions, individuals experiencing various mental health disorders can achieve hope for recovery during times of hardship for marginalized communities faced with depression, anxiety, and other concerns.
While there is no one solution for mental health struggles, creating maps can be a powerful tool to overcome them, as evidenced by these examples.
To close, July is the month when we focus on raising awareness about mental health among minority groups. Let’s use this month to increase our awareness of mental health in minority communities, which is essential for everyone to understand.
For more information about John Diggs and his advocacy, please click here. The original article may be found at USA Wire. (https://usawire.com/july-is-national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month/ )
